The Osamu Tezuka Story - A Life in Manga and Anime Book Details

The good folks from publishers Stone Bridge Press have just sent us details for a new book out in July 2016. They'll be publishing The Osamu Tezuka Story A Life in Manga and Anime by Toshio Ban & Tezuka Productions. This is going to be a huge book weighing in at over 900 pages, it covers the entire life of Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy and man seen as the founding father of modern manga and anime.

This book is translated by Frederik L. Schodt. He's known for many things in including translating the original Ghost In the Shell manga into English (with Toren Smith). He's also written numerous award winning books books on manga. He knows his stuff!

A documentary manga biography of the influential artist and the birth and evolution of manga and anime in Japan

Berkeley, CA - October 19, 2015 - Stone Bridge Press announces that they will be publishing The Osamu Tezuka Story: A Life in Manga and Anime, a huge (900+ pages) single-volume work that covers the entire life of Japan’s most beloved artist/comics/animation visionary. Currently in production, The Osamu Tezuka Story will see a release in July of 2016.

This graphic-format biography of Osamu Tezuka-Japan’s "God of Manga"-looks at one of the twentieth century's great creative artists (Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Black Jack). It is also an anecdotal study of the evolution of Japan’s early manga and anime business and its heroes. A never-before-seen popular culture history of postwar Japan, it is sure to fascinate fans and anyone interested in manga, anime, and the potential of the graphic Storytelling medium.

Toshio Ban joined Tezuka Productions in 1974 as one of Tezuka's assistants. After working for a period as a free-lancer, he later re-joined Tezuka Productions in 1978 as the sub-chief of manga production for magazines, supporting Tezuka's creative work until the end.

Tezuka Productions Co., Ltd., is the now-legendary company founded by Osamu Tezuka in 1968 to produce his own manga and anime. In the wake of Tezuka's death in 1989, it has continued as a family enterprise, responsible for the development, production, merchandising, licensing, and distribution of his many manga and anime creations, including books, films, and characters.

Frederik L. Schodt is a translator, conference interpreter, and award-winning author of books on Japanese history and pop culture. He often served as Osamu Tezuka’s English interpreter and was a consultant on one of his animated features and a TV series.

Stone Bridge Press was established in Berkeley, California, in 1989. We now have some 150 titles in print, covering such Japan-Asia-related areas as language, business, literature, manga, design, and culture.
Source: Stone Bridge Press